Thursday, July 15, 2010

Orvis U.S. Patent Collection F/W 2010

With all the money that seemingly exists in the heritage market it should come as no surprise to anyone that Orvis is the latest brand to make the jump. This move may seem a little late, but who cares about staying ahead of the curve when you pretty much are the curve, right? J. Lugg over at A Guide To Bad Taste made a good point when he said that Orvis has always been known as an outfitter more so than a producer, which I believe is the proper framework to view this collection. Instead of going the "we dug through our own archives to find gems" route, Orvis opted to get with some made in the U.S.A all-stars (Schott, Gitman Bros., Grown & Sewn, Stronghold, etc.) to collaborate on all the gear seen below. I'm assuming that the theme of the collection, besides focusing on domestic heritage, is based around specific iconic patents from these particular companies.

In theory this collection is a smart move, but I am skeptical on how Orvis can reach the niche segment of consumers who nerd out over all this heritage stuff. Lots of those guys seem drawn to the reimagining of heritage that focuses particularly on fit. As there is no word yet on that aspect of the U.S. Patent collection the jury is still most definitely out on if this will make any serious coin for Orvis. It may turn out that the decidedly "older" and "traditional" brand thought domestic manufacturing and involving certain brands was enough of a selling point on its own and we all know how that usually ends up. Everyone clamors for made in the U.S.A. goods, but when it comes to the showdown they are much more inclined to actually break out the plastic for "fitted" goods made anywhere but (i.e. Uniqlo, J. Crew, etc.). $170 khakis don't leave much money left over for your seamstress.

The entire collection, which is extremely deep, hits stores mid August, but you can check out some catalog scans via Selectism now. Mister Crew also wrote some interesting criticism of this undertaking a while back, when word of the collection first broke, which serves a nice companion piece when checking all this stuff out.

I like this stuff (esp. that red jacket...nice!) but wish the price points were more in line with LL Bean Signature. Do I like those jeans? Yeah. For $285? No. And it's like that with most of the items here. I'd be interested, but not at those prices.

I like it. I like it all. Reminds me of Willis and Geiger in the early 90s, And while it may be pricey, this shit'll last. I still have W&G (very expensive) in the closet 18 years later. None of it fits but I can't part with it.

Small amounts of quality versus heaps of crap. I know. I didn't do that either when I was 25 and had my head up my ass. All that LL Bean Signature shit will be worn out in a NY minute but then if you get fat in 18 years you'll just have the Orvis stuff in your closet. Reminding you of when you were a 30 waist and a 15 shirt.

The only issue is with the Orvis sizing, they never make anything small or in a 38 that is even remotely fitted. I do enjoy the Orvis look and the tradition and quality they stand behind, however not being able to fit in them makes me feel like am still a boy trying on my Dad's hunting gear.

I'm diggin the Red Jacket (who isn't?) and definitely would rock the long sleeve two-tone pullover. Otherwise, feel like most of this is trying too hard to keep up with the Joneses. Guess I'll pop over to Midtown and check the line out once it drops.

L.A.S. - don't mind the anoymous folk, just tell 'em to move along and you keep up the quality posts...they're not worth the time. He's obviously trying to elicit that kind of response.

LAS- Guess how many baby boomers are out there. And we have a lot more money. I think if they play their cards well -- ie: not cranking out some ersatz marketing campaign to sell retro, made in El Salvador, over styled apparel to bulimic hipsters -- they'll do just fine.

Is posting anonymously really all that much different than using initials or a fake name like most of you do?

I also find it strange that our sartorially inclined leader will not let his devout followers know what he actually does for a living. Is it embarrassing? Would that information ruin his rep as a sartorial figurehead? Is he wearing Michael Bastian to a white shoe law firm? Or is he just crafting rhymes in Mcnairy cargos and cracking blunts on his degree from an expensive southern university? The internet and it's many mysteries…

No matter how nice the stuff may look, Orvis won't see any of my money unless they change their policy towards size small. Right now, they consider it an "extended size" instead of a normal size. You have to dig into the site to find their selection of small: 3 shirts, and not even nice looking ones. Anything that looks remotely nice starts at medium.

You nailed the weakness here L.A.S. The sizing is going to be along Orvis' usual generous patterns.

Although this merchandise is well made and IMO fairly priced, the relaxed patterns won't appeal to younger, more fashionable customers who are interested in heritage pieces. That's going to drastically limit its appeal.

And unfortunately, many of the older customers who make up Orvis' main base just aren't that interested in spending money on quality clothing. There's a reason why most of Orvis' offerings are inexpensive and cheaply made. That's what their customers want these days. Their clothing collection is a shell of its former self.

One more vote for Orvis in size small. I had a small exchange with their Customer Service, where they first assured me that they do offer size small - just not on the website - and then reversed themselves when I asked about specific shirts (the Open Air casting shirt and the Heirloom-Plaid flannel). Why does Orvis hate small size people?

Actually for a bigger dude like myself - this collection of Orvis actually fits very well. I'm sort of defensive end big, so it's hard to find a lot of "fitted" items that will fit me. On that note, I'm appreciating a lot of this stuff....knowing it fits my tree trunk thighs like APCs on smaller guys. I'll probably end up buying quite a few items out of this collection, while it's still available. I don't imagine Orvis will make a lot of coin from it.